


Trust

by AnneGee



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, Cold Weather, Danger, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Feelings, Feelings Realization, Female Apprentice (The Arcana), First Kiss, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Torture, Injury, Jealousy, Loss of Virginity, Love, Love Confessions, Magic, Minor Injuries, NSFW, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Outdoor Sex, Pain, Penis In Vagina Sex, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Sex, Sexual Content, Smut, Supernatural Elements, Sweet, Thriller, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, Virgin apprentice, Water, eventually, there will be sexual content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:08:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23552077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnneGee/pseuds/AnneGee
Summary: The apprentice sets out on a risky journey by herself in order to save Julian Devorak’s life, and it raises questions to which extent she can trust others as well as herself. It also awakens unexpected feeling for the fugitive doctor.
Relationships: Apprentice & Julian Devorak, Apprentice/Julian Devorak, Julian Devorak & You, Julian Devorak/Reader, Julian Devorak/You
Comments: 4
Kudos: 62





	1. The truth

**Author's Note:**

> Warning! This story starts innocently with just a few references to injury. Then it goes full nsfw in the last chapter.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I have to decide on how to deal with him,” Nadia mumbled absentmindedly. “This needs to be thoughtfully orchestrated.” Nadia narrowed her eyes at [y/n]. “Tell me, magician, do you think people will praise me for sentencing the doctor to the gallows?”

The distant swishing sound of heavy silk rapidly grew stronger, and [y/n] immediately knew the Countess was approaching the Palace’s kitchen at an unprecedented speed. The sound of quick steps down the stony staircase followed, and both Portia and herself stopped chewing in suspense.

“They finally caught Doctor Devorak!” Nadia exclaimed, short-breathed and excited, in front of [y/n] and Portia, who were in the middle of lunch over the dining table. Before Nadia’s words made sense to [y/n] it struck her that even when the Countess was this out of character, she was unbelievably stunning. 

Portia however got up so fast her chair tilted and hit the floor with a deafening sound. [Y/n] startled and didn’t know who to respond to first. Her gaze darted between the two women before she got up herself. “This is... surprising news,” was her fumbling response.

  
Portia looked absolutely terrified, seemingly suppressing a scream of terror with both hands over her mouth. Nadia on the other hand looked caught off guard, weighing how to feel.

Not knowing either of the women very well, [y/n] found it hard to interpret what went on inside their minds, and each of their reactions puzzled her. She even surprised herself when the thought of the Doctor in chains made a very unsettling chill run down her spine. Truth be told, or at least thought, she was far from confident Dr. Devorak was guilty of the charges on the Count’s murder. In fact he seemed to be a very agreeable man from that last encounter they had recently had. He had been especially happy and carefree the other night when they met outside the Raven, and she had been surprised by the amount of friends he seemed to have there. And also how very considerate and handsome he had turned out to be. Asra’s unequivocal warnings of him were still fresh in the back of her mind though.

[Y/n]’s reflections were interrupted by Portia excusing herself in a frail, choked voice, and without the Countess’ admission she simply ran past Nadia and upstairs. Her unrestrained cries resounded through the stone halls along with her quick footsteps. It filled [y/n] with horror, and urged her to follow Portia. Where could she be headed? Nadia snapped out of her internal pondering, still not paying any attention to Portia’s escape.

“I have to decide on how to deal with him,” Nadia mumbled absentmindedly. “This needs to be thoughtfully orchestrated.” Nadia narrowed her eyes at [y/n]. “Tell me, magician, do you think people will praise me for sentencing the doctor to the gallows?”

  
The question instantly provoked [y/n] to the bone, igniting a fierce spite inside her.

“With all due respect, Your Highness, I don’t believe that should be your greatest concern right now. Wouldn’t you first and foremost like to know the truth? Isn’t this the perfect opportunity to try to find out what really happened the night the Count was murdered, and think about the consequences later?”

[Y/n] swallowed down her growing anxiety, caused by all different things. She was now ashamed of patronising the Countess, she was concerned about Portia, and she almost panicked thinking about Dr. Devorak. What if he really was innocent? What were they doing to him right this minute? What if they were torturing him? She felt a headache coming on, her racing pulse beating against her temples.

Nadia didn’t seem to take [y/n]’s opposition as an insult though. “You are absolutely right, miss [y/n]! I don’t have to worry about that just yet. In fact this could be the perfect occasion to introduce a so-called legal trail to the people of Vesuvia! Oh, I do think they would appreciate that! It’s very intriguing, I’ve heard.” She put her hands together in excitement.

[Y/n] was desperate to get out of there, as if she was running out of air. “Excuse me, Your Highness, I would very much like to leave now and attend to dear Portia. She did seem very upset.” 

Nadia looked back at her with the same absentminded expression. “Yes, yes, she was very, very fond of the Count. This is emotional for us all. We can talk later,” she replied in a low voice, dismissing [y/n] with a light hand gesture. 

[Y/n] excused herself again and quickly headed up the stairs and further on towards the servants’ quarters. Not even sure where Portia’s room was, she started calling for Portia in the hallway.  


After a couple of minutes she heard a door open with a squeak, and Portia’s trembling answer. “I’m in here...” 

Inside Portia’s picturesque room, [y/n]’s suspicion grew stronger. Portia was clearly dealing with more than just an emotional shock; she was in a personal crisis. “Dear, Portia,“ [y/n] sighed empathetically and followed her to her bed, where Portia almost collapsed only to continue crying her heart out. 

“Please tell me what’s going on,” [y/n] urged in a calm voice, stroking Portia’s back for comfort. “Pardon me for being frank, but... is there a special connection between Dr. Devorak and yourself?” 

[Y/n] was embarrassed to admit to herself that she actually dreaded the answer out of plain, uncivil jealousy. 

Portia drew a hitched breath and looked up at [y/n] with scared, red eyes. Her answer was merely a whisper: “He’s my older brother.” 

Affected by the brutal truth to her own words, she continued in a desperate voice: “But you have to promise not to tell _anyone_! Not _anyone_! Do you understand?” She started crying again.

[Y/n] realised she felt pathetically relieved to hear the nature of their relationship. And not just because it made sense; they did share a few similar features, and it undoubtedly explained the way Portia had addressed Julian when they stumbled upon each other by coincidence the other day. Her heart was filled with bleeding sympathy watching Julian’s little sister despairing over his tragic fate, but most of all it felt like something way too valuable was about to slip out of her own hands.

“Portia, sweetheart, I’m so sorry!” [Y/n] sat down and pulled her in for a solacing embrace. Portia’s body felt spent like a dying wildflower.

“They’re going to kill him, [y/n]! I don’t know what I expected, but I’m not prepared for this! I just got him back in my life, and... I already lost him - again!” It was difficult for [y/n] to make out what Portia was saying through her uncontrolled, shaky voice and hitched breathing, and her own racing thoughts made it hard to concentrate. She still had a sobering vision in her head of Julian lying tortured and traumatised on the stone cold ground of the Palace prison, just a short walk away from where the two of them were sitting right this very minute. When closing her eyes she could see his blood stained face and hands clearly, even hear his weak groans. Why had these unexplainable feelings for Julian suddenly appeared? Was it yet again to spite Asra? Or was it a typical case of not knowing what you have until you lose it? All she knew was that she now felt somewhat desperate to save him.

“I can’t take this, [y/n]! Our parents would turn in their graves if they saw me weak and clueless like this! I need to do something! Please, tell me what to do!” Portia was clutching on [y/n] shirt in despair, crying through gritted teeth.

For a moment [y/n] wanted to tell Portia about the possible legal trail, and the chance Julian eventually could walk free. But she was far from convinced the trail would be anything but another theatrical, heart wrenching tragedy for all of them. 

  
[Y/n] tried to imagine any of the spineless, arrogant, ignorant opportunists of the Palace court, lead by the the deceased’s widow and head of Vesuvia, setting up a fair trail. A midsummer snowstorm would be more likely. She had to come up with a better reassurance for Portia and herself to hold on to.

[Y/n] looked into Portia’s defeated, worn face, with hands firmly steadying her shoulders. “I will at least go back to my shop now to make my special mixture for you. It will help you relax, calm your anxiety and help you sleep. And since the Palace knows nothing of your ties to dr. Devorak, you could perhaps try to smuggle some in to your brother, with a meal? His body and mind will need the rest.”

Portia didn’t look too impressed. It was pretty clear she had imagined something more heroic and efficient to save her brother. She started crying even harder and buried her face into [y/n]’s shoulder. “I can’t let him die, [y/n]! I just can’t...” 

“I will go talk to Nadia afterwards. I won’t reveal your secret, but I will advocate for Julian, tell her about my serious doubts regarding the accusations against him.” [Y/n] stroked Portia’s hair. “Hopefully I can at least talk her out of a death sentence. I will do everything in my might to convince her.”

“Please, [y/n]! Please do! I think you’re the only sensible person the Countess would listen to right now.” A hope was lit in Portia, and [y/n] could see it shining in her eyes for a second.

[Y/n] hugged her again. “I will, I promise.”


	2. The secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Y/n] looked into Portia’s big eyes, and was instantly lost for words. Portia didn’t look that upset anymore, but she was obviously under some distress.
> 
> “[Y/n], I have got to talk to you - confidently...” The same second the servant bells started ringing all over the Palace and after a short while, staff were collectively running by them through the halls. “Please, [y/n], please come with me! Just play along! Don’t say anything! Not a word! Not about me or Julian or that potion you gave me yesterday!”

It was late afternoon by the time [y/n] got back to the Palace with the mixture. She kept the quite large glass bottle hidden in a pocket of her skirt, and it contained enough for both Julian and Portia to have sufficient doses for several days.

When [y/n] reached Portia’s room, the poor girl was fully dressed in her servant’s uniform, and about to leave her room. 

“Nadia will not accept that I’m late. I need to meet for duty in 15 minutes,” she said in a raspy, low voice. She looked pale and scared.

[Y/n] could tell she was still grief-stricken too, mentally spent and running on pure willpower. She handed Portia the bottle rather apologetically.  


“Here you are, sweetie. It’s not much, I know, but hopefully it will help you through the days to come.” Portia looked at the bottle with little interest. “As I said, there’s enough for both you and Ju... you brother. You can put a small tablespoon of this in his water twice a day, and it will make him relax. With an extra dose at nighttime it will even make him sleep. Just don’t overdo it.” 

Portia suddenly looked up at [y/n]. “How much is too much?”

“Well, two tablespoons in a cup of tea is usually more than enough to make any grown person sleep tight. I’ve never ever needed more myself. So be careful, especially before work. You don’t want to fall asleep on duty.” [Y/n] smiled a friendly smile at Portia. Portia didn’t smile back. She seemed to be engaged in deep thoughts, and who could blame her.

  
***

Back in her guest room at the Palace, the evening went by so slow, every tick of the clock felt like a small shock to [y/n]’s nerves. She had accepted Nadia’s invitation to stay at the Palace for a couple of days, and it somehow felt comforting to be close to Julian under these circumstances. She just wished there would be an opportunity to see him, and soothe him. Her speech to the Countess was in progress, but the worries she had for Julian’s currant state ruined her concentration, and made it hard to form coherent arguments to his defence. She hadn’t seen either Nadia nor Portia all evening, and it suited her well. She had to be alone with her thoughts, focusing on her strategy. 

Pathos or ethos? If only she had more faith in Nadia’s ability to value truth and fairness. With every argument she wrote down, she came up with a counterargument the Countess or any of her courtiers were likely to pull. It ate away on her hopes and spirits, and made her visions of Julian hanging from his neck ever clearer to her. At some point it even made her cry in despair, having imaginary apologetic conversations with Julian, before she finally fell asleep with her written notes scattered around her in bed.

***

[Y/n] woke up early the next morning to commotions outside her room. She could clearly make out Nadias rumbling voice: “I will have them both punished for this! Believe me! I will not tolerate this mediocrity and lack of commitment at my court! It’s a disgrace!” There was a truly frightening aggression in her voice.

[Y/n] sat up, her heart threatening to jump out of her throat. My god, what had Nadia discovered? Who was she talking about? Did this have anything to do with Portia and Julian? Or Portia and herself? She could then hear a thin squeaky yell from... was it Praetor Vlastomil? “Your Highness, I will see to it straight away! This is simply unforgivable! Disloyalty of the very grimmest kind. Shame it is! Shame!” 

[Y/n] jumped out of bed still fully dressed in the same, now wrinkly, outfit from yesterday. She collected her papers in a frantic hurry, and suddenly realised she probably had to get rid of them. They could perhaps be used as evidence of conspiracy of some sort. Or was she overreacting? She stuffed the papers inside her skirt pocket just in case. Just as she had straightened her hair and rubbed her face free from salty tracks of tears, a knock on the door startled her, and immediately made her feel dizzy with fear. “You’ll be okay. You’ve done nothing wrong,” she told herself and opened the door rather brutally with a confident posture.

To her great surprise she looked into Portia’s big eyes, and was instantly lost for words. Portia didn’t look that upset anymore, but she was obviously under some distress. 

  
“[Y/n], I have got to talk to you - confidently...” The same second the servant bells started ringing all over the Palace and after a short while, staff were collectively running by them through the halls. “Please, [y/n], please come with me! Just play along! Don’t say anything! Not a word! Not about me or Julian or that potion you gave me yesterday!” 

Portia grabbed [y/n]’s hand and they both hurried along hand in hand, towards the main hall, before [y/n] even had the chance to form a question. She was absolutely lost for ideas what this was about. What on earth had happened, and how could her mixture have any part of this? All she knew was that she would stay loyal to Portia’s wish. And so she stayed quiet.

Inside the main hall Nadia was already waiting for her staff to gather, standing on the plateau in front of the massive marble stairs, in another one of her impressive, colourful dresses. By each of her sides stood Praetor Vlastomil and Consul Valerius.  


[Y/n] felt a strong resentment towards the whole setting. Her notes were burning inside her pocket, and still holding on to Portia’s hand, she squeezed it for support and reassurance. What ever had happened, they were in this together. She had already decided she would back up whatever Portia said or did, as long as she was up against this biased, unreasonable coalition of power. Portia looked back at her and smiled, which took [y/n] by surprise considering the situation with Julian and now this... whatever. Once again her mind wandered to her mixture and how come Portia had specifically brought it up just now. 

Nadia spoke first. “I have very unsettling news for you all. We have a fugitive who might still be hiding inside the Palace estate. This fugitive is the very same who killed my late husband and your beloved master, Count Lucio. This criminal’s name is, as you all probably know, Doctor Julian Devorak.” 

[Y/n] felt goosebumps spread throughout her body, her lungs gasping for air, and she squeezed Portia’s hand so hard, Portia let out a small whine. She could hardly look at Portia afraid it would break the little composure she still had. Other servants were looking surprised at each other, and a few could be heard mumbling. It occurred to [y/n] that this information was most likely not news to Portia. She obviously knew all of this already, and it did explain her improved spirits. 

“Silence!” Consul Valerius shouted, with instant effect. “This... unfortunate incidence is due to a very serious failure in staff responsibility and professionalism. I will remind you all that helping a criminal fugitive, or not reporting suspicious behaviour inside the Palace, is a crime that will be severely punished.” Valerius was looking down at the assembly through his nostrils, his face stone cold. 

[Y/n] could hardly breathe from the tension inside her. She couldn’t decide if she was euphorically happy or dead scared. How had Julian managed to flea from his prison cell? Where was he?

“On the other hand, those of you who will help catch Dr. Devorak, and see to that justice is served, can expect to be generously rewarded.”

[Y/n] finally dared to look at Portia again and met her hopeful expression. Portia sent her a fleeting smile, and it occurred to her that Portia was indeed responsible for Julian’s escape. [Y/n] couldn’t wait to talk to her under four eyes.


	3. The sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Portia grabbed the apprentice by her shoulders. “But you’re a guest, [y/n], and can come and go as you like. I was hoping you would go look for him.” Portia looked down at her feet. “I... I know it’s much to ask, especially since I know he’s pretty much just a stranger to you,” Portia said with a worried frown. “But I promise you he’s innocent. I know my brother. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Portia was looking very sincerely into [y/n]’s eyes, unaware that she was kicking at an open door.

After being dismissed by Nadia, [y/n] and Portia retreated to Portia’s room, and the second Portia closed the door behind them [y/n] almost threw a fit of resolved tension. “Portia! What have you done? Where’s Julian?” She managed to keep her tone down despite her agitated state. Her eyes were wild and her hands tightly clenched into fists though.

Portia’s face looked thrilled, yet nervous. “I used your potion!” Portia whispered back, her hands gesturing a silent “ta-dah!” 

[Y/n] was utterly confused by this explanation. “How?” she asked.

“I mixed a very high dosage in some tea last night, but instead of giving it to Julian, I gave it to the two guards watching him.” Portia couldn’t hide her excitement, and it made [y/n] giggle nervously. “It only took about 20 minutes for them both to pass out. After that I could just help myself to unlock Julian’s cell with their key, and then help him escape through the aqueduct.” 

Portia’s eyes were shining as she told the story, and [y/n] felt a lump in her throat growing. Could Julian have managed to escape from the Palace successfully? Was he safe now? What physical and mental state was he in? [Y/n] couldn’t help but worry, and yet she felt like she couldn’t ask too much. 

“Shouldn’t you go look for him, Portia? How will we know if he made it out safely?” 

Portia paused and stared into [y/n]’s eyes. “That’s were I hope you come in. I can’t leave the Palace just yet, as I have duties until tomorrow morning, and I can’t raise suspicion by acting sick or anything. I’m afraid some might put two and two together if I behave unusual in any way.” Portia grabbed the apprentice by her shoulders. “But you’re a guest, [y/n], and can come and go as you like. I’m begging you, would you be so kind to please go look for him?” Portia let go of [y/n]’s shoulders and looked down at her feet, as if she suddenly realised how unreasonable she was. “I... I know it’s much to ask, especially since I know he’s pretty much just a stranger to you. But I promise you he’s innocent. I know my brother. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Portia was again looking pleadingly into [y/n]’s eyes, unaware that she was kicking at an open door.

[Y/n] smiled at her. “Of course I will, Portia. Anything to save your brother’s life.” She then pulled Portia in for a hug, and they both laughed and cried at the same time.

***

[Y/n] slipped a hand inside her pocket and clutched the curled up papers inside it. It was like she had only dreamt the last 36 hours. Finally back home with her travel bag over her shoulder, it felt like nothing special had happened. Everything was normal at the shop too. Even Astra’s usual absence. But the papers were solid proof of the harsh reality. She brought the papers out into the warm light from the oil lamps and read her own notes, realising that Julian was in as much danger as ever, and she was still the only person who could help him right now. For all she knew his life could depend on her and she could be running out of time. She was waiting for the darkness to come though, for a safer journey.

As soon as it got dark, [y/n] dressed for what she expected could become a long, cold search. She had planned a route with Portia that went along the aqueduct system where he was likely to be found at some point. Hopefully he had found his way to that empty factory building at the docks he usually hid in and called his home. She had gotten the directions from Portia. Clearly the wisest thing was to start where he was supposed to end up, follow the a aqueduct system from there, and hopefully bump into him sooner or later.

[Y/n] left her shop, a little worried about the rain pouring down. It wasn’t cold yet, but there certainly was a risk it could get cold after some time. She ran through the dark allies towards the city harbour, hoping Julian would be waiting safe and sound inside his dry, warm home. 

She could practically see him opening the door for her with that devilish grin, inviting her in for coffee and something strong to go with it. He would probably act really cocky and greatly exaggerate the story about his spectacular escape. [Y/n] smiled just thinking about it. How she loved his sense of humour, and that sparkle in his eye. She ran faster just imagining how good it would be to see him again.

As she approached the docks, a depressing feeling came over her. For some reason she could sense Julian’s absence before she reached the building. The whole area was dead silent, pitch black and the energy of the place told her that no living human was nearby. She still knocked on his door, hoping she could be wrong. 

After no answers, despite several knocks, she tried to open the door, and it turned out to be unlocked. 

  
“Hello?” she announced in a low voice. The large, draughty, dark room was completely empty with just a simple metal staircase going up to 1st floor. This wasn’t the home she had imagined. She stepped inside the room and decided to go upstairs, as it could be the only place for Julian to hide. 

The stairs made a squeaky noise, and she could hear the rain against the roof, but there were no other sounds to be heard. 

Upstairs [y/n] could see the contours of a minimalistic home. There was a made up bed, a desk with a chair, a coat stand with Julian’s coat on, a stove with a kettle on, a solid closet and a washbasin on a stool beside it. Books and papers were stacked in piles around and on top of the desk, and also inside the large steel frame windows. Candles seemed to be the only source of light. She went over to the kettle to feel if it was warm. But no, no one had been here recently. [Y/n] felt her throat clenching from the disappointment that Julian wasn’t here after all. Or maybe it was a sentimental reaction to his humble home. Or could it be the realisation he hadn’t reached his destination, and it implied all sorts of bad news?

She certainly didn’t have time to hang around this empty building any longer. The excitement she had felt a few minutes earlier was replaced by a slight panic. Had Nadia’s guards caught up with him by now? Had he injured himself? Was he lost? She suddenly pictured the intricate aqueduct system. He could be anywhere if he had lost his way somewhere, and strayed. She left the building in a hurry, no longer paying attention to the heavy rain. 

After running along the docks for a while, calling Julian’s name in a low voice, she reached an estuary, and instinctively felt like following the river upstream. The stony riverside was dark, wet and slippery, but with her shoes in her hands she was able to keep up the quick pace without the risk of slipping. The water was cold though.

Her instincts told her she was getting closer to Julian with every step. She had an imaginary conversation with him telling him to hold on and stay positive all the way up the river, until she reached the exit of the aqueduct. 

[Y/n] stopped and looked into the first dark tunnel. The water was pouring out of it in an especially heavy stream, thanks to the rain. How on earth could she move upstream in total darkness without risking her life? She knew Asra would have dealt with it easily. He was great at manipulating water. 

She knew she had the power to do it too, but she had never tried it before. Would it be worth the risk? It was all about visualising and not doubting herself under any circumstance. 

It had to work - for Julian’s sake.

She put on her shoes again, reached out her arm, opened up her palm and let her magic power flow through it and into the streaming water with great force. It created an invisible wall pushing the water aside thus making a clearance in the middle of the stream. If she hunched her back a little, the tunnel was big enough for [y/n] to walk trough. She would have loved to use the other hand for creating a source of light, but she was afraid she wouldn’t have enough power for both, and controlling the water was most importantly. If she only knew how long the tunnel would be... 

The totally blinding darkness put [y/n]’s faith in her own ability to the test. At the same time she knew that doubt would most certainly make her fail. In that case she would be spilled out of here faster than she could think. One thing was certain, Julian wouldn’t be inside here with this amount of water flowing through it. Or could he be hiding in some sort of cavity inside the tunnel wall? “Julian!” she shouted and could tell by the echo that she still had far to go. There was no answer.

Her back was starting to ache from the hunch after a while and she decided to get down on her knees, with her arm still consistently reaching out, pressing against the water. She sat down on her heels to gather more strength, then she pulled out the other arm and switched the magical force over to it. She let out a relieved breath. So far so good.

The relief of being able to rest her right arm gave her new faith. This had to work. She couldn’t have come thus far just to give up.

She decided to stay on her knees and crawl to spare her back. It was hard on her cold, naked knees and with one arm up, it was an extremely slow process, but it would have to do for now. She still sensed that she was getting closer to Julian.

With the continuous darkness she couldn’t even tell if her eyes were open or not after a while. But she tried to figure out her surroundings with her ears, and convinced herself she was reaching the end.  


Every little step, was a step closer, and a step less, until she reached Julian. It was worth the cold and pain. This was nothing compared to what he had gone through. She would soon enough be able to enjoy a warm bath and a hot cup of tea again. 

She switched arms a couple of times more, and tried to get back on her feet for shorter distances every now and then, just to spare her painful knees. At one point she entered such a deep trance she totally lost track of time and place, but then she finally caught a glimpse of light in front of her. She had reached the end of the tunnel!

Not to lose concentration this close to the goal, she shut her eyes tight and continued to push forward. She was down on her knees again and she had to fight the sensation of broken skin and scathing cold piercing into her bones. Her arm was shaking ridiculously by now, and water had started to leak throw her magic wall, flowing between her shivering legs.

She opened her eyes again and realised she had made it. Still very calm and collected she reached through the water with her free right arm, grabbed the stone wall leading the water into the tunnel, pulled herself in and let the water run freely again as she used both hands and the last shred of strength to drag herself up on the stone wall, over the edge and into the grass beside it. 

[Y/n] laid in the grass for gods know how long. She wasn’t even sure if she hadn’t fallen asleep for a while when she finally moved again. Her body was trembling with cold and exhaustion, she couldn’t even place where all the pain came from. Every part of her was in pain. The rain had stopped and the moon was out though. It was enough for her to see the monochromatic landscape and her hands in front of her. 

But how to find Julian? She knew she was out of energy and wouldn’t be able to do more magic for a long, long time. 

She sat up and looked around. This still had to be the south end of Vesuvia, but she had never been exactly at this spot. It looked like an overgrown garden. Just old trees, vines and tall grass everywhere. 

She tried to feel Julian’s presence, but there were no magical receptors responding to anything. Her body was simply too drained. It made her desperately upset. She either had to get some rest, or continue without her special benefits. 

Lying down again she understood there was only one option. If she kept still she would freeze to death, and the guards looking for Julian would get more time to track him down. She envisioned Portia’s grieving face from yesterday. Then she thought about Julian’s agonised, bruised one. 

He was still here somewhere. She had to trust her instincts. Before she entered the tunnel there had been no doubt in her mind that she was on the right track. She hadn’t come here just to give up.

She got on her feet, although her knees felt like they would give up on her any minute. Her back hurt as she stood up straight. Soaking wet and heavy, she stumbled her way through the tall grass. 

What if Julian was on the other side of the channel? She would perhaps need to cross the nearest bridge and go back on the other side of it. [Y/n] forced herself to not think about how long it would take her to investigate every possible hiding place along this massive man made river.

“Julian...” she whispered as loud as she dared into the dark. The running water was the only audible response. “Julian, it’s just me, [y/n].” The hopelessness and exhaustion threatened to make her cry now. What if he wouldn’t trust her even if he heard her calls? 

She walked further on along the river. Where would she have hidden if she had been in Julian’s shoes? She turned around to try to make out the landscape.

Julian would probably be as wet, cold and injured as she was, if not more. It gave her a bit more stamina and determination. No way the Palace court should win this!

“Julian..,” she whispered into the darkness, “I’m coming to help you.” And then she walked on looking for the perfect shelter to dry up and rest, not for herself, but because that would be the most likely place to find a dead-beat fugitive.


	4. The gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was still hard to see anything. Shadows were covering most of the area. [Y/n] swallowed. Was there a possibility Julian could be inside the rubble? She stopped and listened, but there was still no sound.

[Y/n] walked on through the dark wilderness, slow but steady. She had already crossed a bridge once to search the other side of the river, but that side was even more impenetrable and desolated. To distract herself from gloomy thoughts, she was internally singing a silly drinking song.

The moon had moved quite a bit on the sky when the sight of a tall brick house startled her. It wasn’t a regular resident, but looked like something of a mill or a pump house. Her pulse rose and she had to calm herself down before preceding. What if the guards were watching her from it? What if they had hid inside to wait for Julian? She tried to sense some clue, but her magical abilities were still too weak. What she was stuck with was just common sense.

She decided to act as if she was just a helpless magician who had lost her way on her evening walk. No one could prove otherwise. Still she knew she had to investigate that building to look for Julian. She decided to walk straight up to it and look for an entrance, as she would have under normal circumstances anyway.

The house was in much worse condition than she had thought when she first spotted it. A whole wall had collapsed and part of the roof was gone. Bricks and rusty steel was scattered all around, plants and trees had taken over the interior. Rusty gears and massive timber and casks were lying on top of each other in a chaotic pile. Not a very safe place to seek shelter, but at least there were no guards here.

It was still hard to see anything as shadows were covering most of the area. [Y/n] swallowed. Was there a possibility Julian could be inside the rubble? She stopped and listened, but there was still no sound besides the flow of water, and another random call of a raven.

Gods, she was so cold, she could no longer move her fingers properly or feel her feet. For a moment she considered the possibility of finding an iron stove and maybe managing to light a fire that wouldn’t bring too much attention from a far. She bent down to see if she could detect anything like it in between the junk and vegetation. If she could only defrost her fingers and toes just a little bit before she moved on... “There ought to be a heating source somewhere,” she thought, and continued singing the daft drinking song to herself out of pure optimism.

She lifted a few wooden planks, and screamed as she realised something was moving underneath it. Then she heard a deep, hoarse male voice:

“You’re singing it all wrong.”

It took [y/n] a few seconds to trust her own instincts. It was Julian. It had to be.

“Doctor Devorak?” she dared ask. “Is that you?”

Julian’s messy head rose from inside the pile. It was hard to make out his face, but that was definitely his hair. Next she recognised his profile with the curved nose, pointy chin and the wet, curly fringe. [Y/n] felt her emotions taking over. It was too much. She was so tired, so pain struck, so cold, so scared, so relieved and so happy all at once she had nothing sensible to say. But she knew from the pressure in her chest she was going to cry any second.

Julian looked up at her. “I do hope you’re still a friend.”

[Y/n] could tell his face was dirty, but besides that she had no idea what it looked like. She sat down in front of him with tears already dripping down on her cheeks. She sniffed and tried to clear her throat. “Dear Julian, of course I’m still a friend. Are you okay?”

Her voice was strained and revealed more emotion than she appreciated. She dared to touch his face, but her fingers were too damaged to tell if it was cold. It felt sandy and rough though, and unshaven. She was almost afraid to touch more of him. He was probably in worse shape than she was.

But he moved away the rest of the planks on top of himself and slowly got up on his feet. His long form carefully stretched out into full length, and [y/n] felt tinier and more fragile than ever. Before she knew what she was doing she carefully moved into his embrace and wept against his cool, wet chest. She could hardly believe she had made it. Julian wrapped both his arms around her head and rested his on top of hers. There was a wonderful sense of body heat radiating from him after a while.

“Thank you,” she heard him whisper. “Portia told me all about you, and what you did for her. And now you’ve come all this way?” He hugged her hard. She drew a breath to calm down. Portia. Had she really done it for her? Either way, Portia would be so relieved if she only knew this.

[Y/n] looked up at Julian. “I did it for both of you, but you need to thank Portia for this. It’s all her doing. You have a very bold and cunning sister.”

“I know,” Julian said, and she could feel him giggle a little bit. “And luckily she has a very dedicated friend.” He rubbed her back for comfort.

“Are you hurt?” [y/n] asked and withdrew herself from him.

“That depends what you mean,” he answered cryptically. “I’ve been worse.”

[Y/n] now worried about how they would get down from here. If he planned to get home, he had a rough ride through the aqueduct ahead of him. On the other hand, if they were supposed to walk over the hills, it would be a very long and exposed walk. She could already see the sky above them getting slightly brighter in the east.

In a few hours daylight would make it very hard to move around Vesuvia without being spotted.

“Where do you plan to hide, Julian? You can’t stay here for long.”

Julian sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. He was obviously freezing. The only clothes he wore was a soaking wet shirt and a pair of equally wet pants. No boots, no coat.

“I did have a plan, but I’m not quite sure how to get there.” He ran a hand through his wet mane while looking around. “It’s so damn dark.”

[Y/n] could still see him shiver in the dark, and hear his teeth slightly chattering.

“And your plan was?” [y/n] asked impatiently

“I know a woman who will house me, someone I can trust,” he explained.

[Y/n] felt her heart drop to her stomach. Of course he did. What had she been thinking? She had totally forgot that Julian hadn’t longed to see _her_ again. He hadn’t even _expected_ her. In his mind there were other people more important to reach out to than her. 

She instinctively stepped back and straightened out her heavy, wet, clinging dress. It was time to sober up and act sensibly. She could practically hear Asra’s warnings.

“Okay. And where does this woman live? Do you know the way from here?” Her voice came out a little harsh, as if she was putting him to the test.

Julian looked at her and she could almost feel his questioning stare, leaving her words hanging for a little while. “I don’t. I don’t even know where we are. I’ve never been here before.”

[Y/n] was still trying hard to shake the nagging disappointment, keeping the conversation light and carefree. “Do we need to follow the river back up a bit, you think? You must have passed several familiar places on you way down here.”

“Oh please, let’s not,” Julian sighed. “In that case we’re going to reach a pretty long tunnel not very far up. You do _not_ want to try swimming upstream one of those. Believe me.”

Part of [y/n] wanted to scream at him that she already had done one of those, thanks to him!

But she felt ashamed by her own pettiness. She hadn’t come for him to get anything in return. She had come for him because he deserved it, because Portia deserved it, and it was the right thing to do. She ought to be content with that.

“What are you thinking?” Julian asked, and she could hear the insecurity in his voice.

“Just that I’m so cold and tired, I don’t know how much further I can walk.” It slipped out of her as a whiny complaint, and she figured she needed to completely stop talking. Something inside her felt broken, and she just wanted to lay down and sleep on the dry leaves on the ground. Maybe everything would feel better tomorrow. Her motivation right now was dead and gone.

“Can I do anything for you,” Julian asked politely. He almost annoyed her now with his over-politeness.

“If you can find a stove and light it up, I wouldn’t mind,” [y/n] said, and it dripped with sarcasm. She immediately hated herself for it.

“There actually is a stove in here, but I’m not very good at creating fire out of nothing, I’m afraid.” Julian moved further into the ruins and lead them to a complete, although rusty, iron stove. It even had a kettle on top.

“I might actually be able fix that myself,” [y/n] mumbled, expecting that her powers could still be letting her down. She picked a large bunch of dry branches, grass and leaves from around the corners inside the ruins, and put them into the oven.

With a snap of her fingers she was, to her own surprise, able to light it. Good, some things were still working out.

As satisfying as the warmth felt on her face and fingers, she still felt too discouraged to be genuinely happy with anything right now. This reunion with Julian just wasn’t quite what she had expected. She felt childish and ungrateful, but was unable to shake it.

Julian however was very impressed by her skills. He sat down behind her on the dry leaves, looking into the flames, grabbing her shoulders with enthusiasm. “You did it! My god, we’re saved!” Then he stretched out his long legs and arms on either side of her, trying to heat up.

  
The light from the fire let her finally see him properly. She studied his long, slender, naked feet that were covered in dirt, and what looked like coagulated blood. His long, defined legs in his grey, wet and dirty pants. There was a hole in them where she could see his part of his knee. It made her want to touch his skin. 

She hesitated for a moment before she dared turn and look at his face.

The sight shocked her. His right eye was bloodshot, he had a cut over his nose and his lower lip was split. His left cheekbone was bruised, and overall it was generally just stained with dry blood and dirt. He was still beautiful though, with his curly hair in a wet mess and his sorry eyes staring back at her under thick lashes and defined brows.

She simply couldn’t stop staring at him, and she felt a renewed rage against the Palace rising inside her chest, her lower lip trembling with emotions. Julian was mirroring her with vulnerable eyes and knitted brows. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out at first.

“You’re beautiful,” he finally said, and it seemed like he was as surprised as she was over what had slipped out. His cheeks immediately flushed underneath the dirt.

She turned her whole body towards him between his legs, and gave him a fleeting, but reassuring smile. He was leaning back on his outstretched arms, his once white shirt was now a rusty colour and clinging to his torso. His right collarbone looked swollen and deep purple, and highly visible goosebumps were spread all over his chest and neck inside the open shirt.

[Y/n] turned her gaze down on her filthy, bloody hands, afraid she would say or do something stupid. She sure _wanted_ to say or do something stupid. “Thank you, you’re flattering me,” she whispered, somewhat embarrassed, feeling undeserving.

The heat from the oven finally stopped her back muscles from cramping. She decided to unbuttoned her woollen jacket and take it off to dry her dress more effectively. “I will try to dry my clothes up,” she mumbled, uneasy about the awkward silence.

She got up on shaky legs and hung up her jacket on a plank close to the stove. Then she looked at Julian, and knew she was about to go out on a limb. “Won’t you let me hang your shirt up with it? It’ll probably feel a whole lot better when you put it back on again.”

“What? Oh, sure... Why, that’s... kind of you,” he stuttered, and pulled his shirt over his head carefully. She could tell he was hurting with the movement, and with his shirt off the reason why was evidential. A low “sorry” came with the shirt, probably because he realised for the first time how filthy it was.

She felt another lump in her throat from the sight of his colourful torso, but politely ignored it, took the shirt from him and hung it up beside her jacket. The size difference both charmed her and made her a little sentimental.

He thanked her again, looking up at her with the same admiring eyes as earlier.

She sat back down between his legs, determined to mend the weird tension that had occurred between them. She knew she was to blame. “Was that better?” She smiled friendly and rubbed his knee, just beside the tempting hole, just to assure him that everything was okay.

He smiled a beautiful smile and gave her a nearly inaudible “yes”.

She looked at his split lip, wondering if it would hurt him if she kissed him. She wanted to so badly, she was almost afraid of her own impulses. How would he react if she just did it?

Before she knew what she was doing the question slipped out of her mouth:

“Can I kiss you?”

Inside she wanted to die, but she decided to hold his gaze confidently until he gave her an answer. What did she have to lose anyway?

He was still giving her those insecure eyes, but with a careful smile and a thick voice he answered: “I... I’d love that.”

She got up on her sore knees, and moved in to give him the lightest of kisses, just to let him understand the affection she felt for him. Overprotective Asra should have seen her now.

Julian didn’t take her eyes off her for a second. He looked just very serious and pensive when she sat back down again and he swallowed hard. “Thank you - again,” he whispered. Another brief, insecure smile passed across his broken lips.

“Did it hurt?” She giggled a bit, and put more wood into the oven, delighted that she had managed to steal a kiss from him.

  
“Gods no. Absolutely not.” He shook his head with a shy smile. “In fact I think you just healed it.” He touched his lip and chuckled at her.

  
She looked at his beaten, naked upper body, and gave him a worried frown. “You must be so hungry. Are you still cold?”

“I would lie if I said I was warm,” he answered with a hint of wit to it. “I’m sure you’re as cold as I am though. That dress looks soaked.” He swallowed again, probably because he heard what he was suggesting.

But he was right. The dress was hindering her from getting warm. Still she felt uncomfortable by the thought of taking it off. The only thing she wore underneath it was a pair of woolen pantaloons.

“Why... don’t you get out of that dress, and put on your knitted jacket instead. The wool will keep you warm, even if it’s wet.” Julian paused a bit and continued. “I promise not to look. I would never... you know...disrespect you. Trust me.”

She could tell by his eyes he was being sincere. He was after all a doctor. He should be used to seeing naked bodies anyways.

She smiled friendly at him. “If you don’t mind, I’ll do that.”

He gave a short nod and turned his back on her.

It felt weird to get undressed just two feet away from a man, but she knew she was safe. She stepped out of the dress, just wearing her shorts, put her woollen jacket back on and buttoned it. It already felt pretty dry, but also itchy on the sensitive skin of her breasts.

She hung up her dress, and let Julian turn around again.

She could tell he was studying her new form although he tried to hide it, and it made her joyful. Maybe he really did find her beautiful?

She was comfortable getting back to sitting between his legs as before. And he even allowed himself to touch her hair as she sat down.

“That must feel better?” he asked affectionately. Still touching her hair, still studying her closely.

She looked up at the ceiling. The sky inside the hole of the roof was getting brighter. “This feels perfect,” she whispered and felt herself longing for more. She turned and looked into the calming flames, feeding it with ever thicker branches. She was grateful now. Everything was going to be okay. She could feel it.

Julian drew a deep nervous breath. “Can I hold you, [y/n]?”

The words made [y/n] heart set off at a new level, and she looked at him almost in disbelief.

“I don’t want you to be cold. You shouldn’t even be here. You should be home in bed.” His looked apologetically at her.

She happily scooped in with her shoulder against his chest. “Please do. We can keep each other warm.”

As she leaned into him, he started rubbing her back and shoulder, and he kissed her head. She looked up at him, and as their eyes met, he bent down and pecked her lips, as lightly as their first one. Then he kissed her again - and again. More and more passionately. He opened his mouth and slipped his tongue inside her mouth when she let him.

She moaned with overwhelming pleasure, and reached her arm up to hold on to his neck, making sure he wouldn’t withdraw from her.

She slowly turned her whole front towards his, got up on her sore knees and straddled his lap. She needed him closer. As close as he could get.

He grabbed each of her calves behind him, and felt them up towards her knees. Still tasting her mouth and playing with her tongue.

But then she suddenly gasped and jumped with pain as he touched her kneecaps. He pulled back with a startle and let go of her legs. “What did I do, [y/n]? Did I hurt you?”

“It’s just my knees...” She tried to say it as casually as possible, wanting to get back to where they were.

He carefully pulled her pantaloons up over her knees and studied them in the dim light.

He looked back up at her with raised brows. “Why are you hurt like this?”

She looked at Julian’s mouth, hungry for more of him, but it was clear that he expected an answer before they could continue.

“Julian,” [y/n] sighed, looking him in the eyes, unable to keep a straight face. “I’ve practically crawled on my knees to get to you. You would have been really proud of me it you saw it.” She was obviously joking, but then not really.

He didn’t find it funny either, and kept studying her knees closely.

  
She looked down at her knees, since he obviously wouldn’t let go of them. They looked worse than she had imagined, almost like they were carbonised because of how dirty the wounds had gotten.

“This is no good, [y/n]. These can get infected. Aren’t you in pain?” He cupped her left cheek, and stroked it with his thumb.

[Y/n] felt about to cry with want watching his serious, concerned, messed up face. He obviously hadn’t seen how bad _he_ looked.

She kissed the palm of his hand. “I’m in excruciating pain, actually. I think you need to kiss them better,” she said teasingly.

Julian smiled back, but shook his head. “You’re obviously not in your right mind. The infection has unfortunately already reached your pretty little head, I’m afraid.” He pushed her head back playfully and chuckled.

She giggled and tried to steal another kiss, but he avoided her, still being playful.

“Please just lay down on your back for me for a few seconds. I promise I won’t do anything improper. You won’t regret it.”

  
[Y/n] wouldn’t just oblige to him immediately, but he insisted, and she laid down on her back between his legs, arms over her head, knees up and feet planted on the ground on each side his narrow hips.

  
It felt intensely arousing even before he had touched her. She looked up at his concentrating face and bit her lip in suspense. How she would have loved for him to take advantage of her right now. His hands felt so wonderfully hot and tempting on her skin.

He then covered her knees with his palms, his eyes closed. What was he doing? She felt her lust replaced by curiosity, and suddenly a mark, like a tattoo, lit up in a cold, bluish light on Julian’s throat. His head fell back with a twitch of his face and a short gasp.

  
The pain in her knees magically disappeared.

  
After a short while Julian smiled at her again, removed his hands, dragged her back up and the skin on her knees was healed, like there hadn’t even been a scratch there.

  
She looked at him with admiration and gratitude. “I only know one other person who can do something similar,” she whispered in awe. “I didn’t know you did magic!” Her whole face lit up, and she got up on her knees to kiss him again. 

  
“Oh, I’m not sure it’s considered magic. It’s not my doing really. More of a curse, given to me by a former friend.”

Secretive Julian... She cupped his face, not really bothering to understand what he was talking about. “Thank you anyway, Julian.”

Then she finally covered his lips with hers and kissed him so passionately again it made her dizzy.

He grabbed her by the waist, and reeled her in until she sat firmly straddled across his lap and against his crotch. She felt him move inside his pants, and it instantly made her pulse beat through her groin, and she moaned at the sensation.

“My gods, [y/n],” Julian whispered in a hitched breath. “I... I never thought...”

She stopped him from talking with her eager mouth, and pressed her chest against his, her arms around his neck, her legs crossed around his waist. She wouldn’t let him interrupt this again.

Julian’s hands were holding on to her butt, pressing her even harder against himself.

She started moving her hips slowly, pulling away from his mouth to see the reaction in his eyes. The intense urge to feel his hairy chest against her naked skin made her daring. She unbuttoned her knitted jacket, revealing her breasts. The cold air felt wonderful on them after getting that itchy wool off of them. The only thing that would feel better on them was Julian’s skin.

  
Julian looked flustered and overwhelmed, taking in the sight of her. He was breathing heavily while holding on to her naked back underneath her jacket. Their sexes still rubbing each other through layers of clothing. She could feel his erection very evidently against her own swollen sex.

She grabbed his hands from her back, brought them up to her breasts, and leaned back on her arms clutching his thighs. As he started kneading them while kissing her neck, she felt the tension inside building up so fast she tore on his pants with one hand, trying to release his cock. She just couldn’t wait for him any longer.

“Julian, I want you so much. I want you so, so much. You have no idea,” she panted. It baffled her that she allowed herself to be this blunt.

Julian groaned as if he was frustrated, and got more hard-handed with her. He pushed her down again on her back, quickly pulled her undergarments off, and felt her slick cunt up and down with his fingers. His face was clearly flustered and tense with want. “You’re so wet... I can’t... I can’t believe I can have you like this,” he whispered, and slowly slipped a finger inside her.

Pleasure shot through [y/n] and she arched her back and bucked her hips up against his hand. Julian’s thumb kept swirling around her clit until it was so sensitive it started to get unbearable. She could feel slick running down her cleft.

“Please...” she gasped. “I can’t take more of this. Please. I need you inside me. I want you to come inside me.” She let out a weak whimper before he opened up his pants frantically and let his thick, erected cock out of his pants. He then pulled her upright again, and she sat down on him slowly.

It was both painful and so wonderful at the same time, and she let out small cries every time he moved further in. When he was finally fully inside her, they just sat still, hardly breathing. Stroking and tasting each other’s skin, whispering praises in each other’s ears.

Julian looked into her eyes. “Are you okay?” he asked in a trembling voice. [Y/n] started moving up and down his shaft. Julian’s face twitched hard once before he closed his eyes and looked like he was about to drift off into complete bliss. His beautiful eyes shut and his open mouth moaned silently with ever jerk.

“I... I don’t know. I can’t stop myself either way. You feel so good inside me.” [Y/n] hitched into his ear, feeling an orgasm already on its way. She had a hard time talking.

As she adjusted to the stretch, she rode him faster, clutching around his member, panting and moaning. Julian grabbed her by her butt and carefully started thrusting against her. He then wrapped his long arms around her waist, pressed deep inside her and spilled himself with a loud, uncontrolled groan.  
  
  


[Y/n] had to fight his strength to keep on moving for her own pleasure, and she came straight after him, shaking, talking nonsensically into his ear, pulling his hair, before she let out a final weak mewl.

Julian was kissing her whole face when she came to her senses again. She felt so spent and warm, she wished she could just fall asleep like this, Julian both inside and around her.

“That felt so amazing, sweetheart. My gods, I don’t know how I came to deserve this. Please tell me you’re happy too?” Julian ran his fingers through her hair, still giving her face sweet kisses.

”Stop saying silly things, Julian. You know I’m happy. I’m probably the happiest I’ve ever been.” She collapsed against his shoulder with eyes closed, smiling blissfully. Julian hunched down and buried his face in her neck and just held on to her for a minute.

Then [y/n] straightened up and looked at him. It was about to dawn, and they should be moving on.

“We need to get you out of here, Julian.”

He looked affectionately at her. “I know.”

She got off him and reached for her pants. She pulled them on and rose up to get her dress and his shirt. Her thoughts were still racing. Where did this turn of events leave them? She was so happy right now, but far from certain that happiness would last very long.

  
  
As she handed him the shirt she was surprised to see that his torso didn’t look that bad anymore. The swellings had gone down significantly, the bruises had faded to nearly nothing. His lip and nose looked just fine. The only thing that hadn’t healed was his red eye.

“You look better,” she commented.

“I feel better,” he replied cheerfully.

“So... Are you off to this... girlfriend of yours?” she asked a little hesitantly, putting the dress on.

  
“Oh, I wouldn’t call her a girlfriend exactly,” he giggled, “but I still think that’s a good idea, yeah.”

[Y/n] still felt a little disappointed about his plans, and she avoided his gaze to hide it, being occupied with getting dressed.

“Will... you come with me? We could clean up with a hot bath and have a nice cup of tea afterwards?” he asked, not sounding too confident.

“Oh...” [Y/n] was surprised he asked, but god knows she didn’t want to leave him. “But will your... friend be okay with that?” She looked confrontational at him.

Julian smiled a crooked smile, putting on his dirty shirt. “Mazelinka is always okay with visitors. She might not even be home, but we’ll get in. No worries.”

As Julian got up and reached out his hand to her, she took it a little reluctantly and looked up at him.

  
“A break-in? Just so we’re clear, Julian: I’m not doing more illegal stuff. Not even for you.”

  
Julian laughed. They started walking through the tall, dewy grass hand in hand, away from the aqueduct and the ruins. The sky had picked up a beautiful bright colour in the horizon.

“No, no! It’s nothing like that, sweetheart. She’s used to it. Trust me.”


End file.
